evil

Who’s on the Throne of Your Heart?

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.’” – Isaiah 14:13-15 Yesterday we looked at how evil doesn’t always look that way at first, and how the devil’s attacks are not always as obvious as we might think. Today, I want to talk about what I believe to be his primary method of attack and goal in the life of a believer — getting us to worship ourselves.  Isaiah 14 says that Satan wanted to be enthroned above God. He didn’t want to submit to Him or

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Authority Over Darkness

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” – Matthew 10:16 Yesterday we talked about how Satan does exist but how we, as Christians, have power and authority over the darkness he tries to bring into our lives. Overall, we affirmed that Jesus has won the war! Today, I want to talk a little bit more about our adversary and where his pseudo-power comes from.  I believe that lack and evil in this world are carried out through the agency of people; however, their root cause is found in the angelic world, namely through Satan and the fallen angels who followed him rather than serving the Lord. Now, whenever we talk about the devil and Satanic influences in modern society, it’s easy for educated people to put their guard up — that’s because the enemy doesn’t want us

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Your Authority in Christ

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” – Luke 10:19 We discussed yesterday how Satan exists, and that we, as Christians, have power and authority over the evil he seeks to bring into our lives. In this discussion, we affirmed that Jesus had triumphed in the battle! Today I want to discuss a little more about our adversary and the source of his fleeting sense of power. The existence of lack and evil in this world, I believe, is perpetrated by people; yet, their fundamental cause is found in the angelic realm, specifically through Satan and the fallen angels who chose to serve him rather than the Lord of all. When we talk about the devil and Satanic influences in modern culture, it’s natural for educated people to become defensive — because the

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Divine Irony

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” – Psalm 45:6 Yesterday, we talked about Henry VIII and how his life, as selfish and crazy as it was, gave birth to a church that has shared Jesus with millions. And today, if you’ll permit me, I’d like to continue using a lesson from history to demonstrate how sovereignly God works. Once King Henry VIII died, his only surviving son ascended the throne at just nine years of age, but he passed away six years later. Upon his death, his sister, Queen Mary (a.k.a. Bloody Mary) — who was the only surviving child of the king and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon — took the throne in 1553. Since the new queen was very much Catholic, she hated her Protestant father with a passion. She was determined

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The Ancient of Days

“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.” – Daniel 7:9 Yesterday, we discussed the world’s system and how Satan is waging war all around us in the kingdoms of the earth. Today, I want to talk about the good news we can cling to — that there is One greater than the devil! Further along in his vision in Daniel 7, the prophet, after seeing four hideous, terrifying, and powerful beasts, speaks of a throne of fire being set in place and the Ancient of Days ascending it to execute judgment. Interestingly, the Lord is often represented by fire in the Old Testament because the heat of flames purifies and their presence consumes.

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The World’s System

“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast — terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.” – Daniel 7:7 It’s safe to say that the world’s way is beastly. Ever since humanity fell into sin, the forces of darkness have been raging to orchestrate chaos and stir up violence. Throughout all of history, kingdoms have risen against each other and war has been commonplace. Of course, behind every mass movement of anarchy, disorder, or crime stands Satan — the Beast himself. It was his image that Daniel saw in the vision recorded in Daniel 7, wherein he took the form of four brutal monsters, each representing a worldly government under the sway

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Saved From the Serpent

“They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’ Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.” – Numbers 21:5-7 I’m always fascinated when I read the account of the Israelites and their journey to the Promised Land, because no matter how many times God showed them His glory, they seemed to forget and go back to complaining. Even though they were in the middle of one of the greatest epochs of all time historically speaking, they refused to

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God’s Got the Power

“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” – Exodus 7:10-12 There’s an interesting account in the book of Exodus that took place after Moses and his brother Aaron were commissioned by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Having been oppressed and abused for 400 years by Egyptian officials, the Lord heard the cries of His people and put a plan into action to deliver them. He called Moses to guide them, and He appointed Aaron to be a prophet to speak on His behalf. Promising to

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Bringing Down Giants

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.’” – 1 Samuel 17:45,46 The story of David and Goliath is a famous tale about a brawny, well-trained, and intimidating Philistine warrior who was defeated by a young Jewish shepherd named David. What many people don’t realize, however, is that Goliath is actually an archetype for the devil. Beyond being just a fighter, he was crazy and mean, and he went out each morning to hurl insults at the Israelite soldiers. He seemed to have strength beyond the natural, and he stood at six cubits tall, was equipped with six pieces of

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